


Desiderium

by Trekkiehood



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Eugene Fitzherbert centric, Eugene centric, Eugene whump, F/M, Gen, Hurt Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Hurt/Comfort, Pain, Post-Canon, Stabbing, Temporary Character Death, Torture, War, Whump, corona is at war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24730966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trekkiehood/pseuds/Trekkiehood
Summary: Desiderium: an ardent desire or longing; especially: a feeling of loss or grief for something lost.Eugene and Rapunzel's lives are turned upside down when a war breaks out between Corona and Equis. As Captain of the Guard Eugene is forced to leave his wife and daughter to fight. A tragic attack leaves Rapunzel a widow, or so she thinks.A severely injured Eugene must fight his way back to his family.But there is much more going on then meets the eye.(This is a terrible summary but basically Eugene gets injured and captured and Rapunzel thinks he's dead and has to deal with that while trying to win a war. Also there's a Varalina subplot. )I don't own Tangled. Just my OCs and the story itself.
Relationships: Background Varian/Catalina, Eugene FItzherbert | Flynn Rider & Timothy (OC), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Varian & Ashira (OC)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 51





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to LadyFawkes for betaing!
> 
> Please enjoy :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the story of how I died....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I prematurely started posting before. I'm here for real this time!
> 
> Thank you to LadyFawkes for betaing!
> 
> Please enjoy :)

This is the story of how I died…. the second time. Really though, how many guys can say that more than once? But don't worry, this story has a "happily ever after" at the end. It just… takes a while longer to arrive this time.

Maybe I should explain.

You see, after Rapunzel and I were married, things started to change. Rather quickly in fact. Within a year, Rapunzel was crowned Queen of Corona. Right from the beginning, she was intuitive, selfless, and kind. Already becoming the type of amazing ruler her subjects always deserved....and it was a beautiful thing to watch Rapunzel blossom into her role. Her parents took off on an adventure of their own to rediscover themselves as they still struggled with their memories on occasion.

For two years, all was at peace. During this time, Rapunzel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kleisonne, her hair a beautiful dark brown just like her mother's.

But then the peace ended. It all started when King Trevor of Equis died. Having no heir (except a seal) his truly evil cousin, Regis, seized the throne. Now we didn't know he was evil at first. He seemed nice enough and Rapunzel went out of her way to send her condolences and welcome the new King.

Only two months after King Regis took the throne, Equis attacked New Old Corona with no provocation whatsoever. The attack nearly decimated the town, killing many. What was left of the citizens escaped to the capital and reported all that had happened. It was only a few days later that we received the official declaration of war.

Old Corona became a battleground for both sides. The battle raged on for nearly two months with no progress on either side. But it turned out the low-level resource-sapping siege is exactly what the diabolical Regis had planned all along. Then something happened that would change all of our lives forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise real plot soon!
> 
> Will probably attempt to keep with the once a week thing. Probably Fridays but I'm not going to make any promises. If I get the whole thing written (I currently have 6/20 chapters completly written, edited, and ready to post) I might update more often. We hall see.
> 
> Let me know what you think and check out my Tumblr Trekkiehood!
> 
> God bless,
> 
> Jamie


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel and Eugene say goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter as promised!
> 
> Still pretty short, but at least we actually start the plot!
> 
> Once again, much thanks to LadyFawkes for all of her help <3

"Rapunzel, I’m sorry, darling, but we have to." Eugene sighed, rubbing a gentle thumb down her face.

The tears continued to leak from her eyes. "But I don't want you to go."

"And I don't want to leave you, but I have to. This is war, Rapunzel, and I'm the Captain of the Guard. You know I have to go."

She leaned into him, burying her face in his chest. "But the baby-"

"Kleisonne will be fine." He pulled her close and gently whispered, "I'll be back. We'll win and we'll have that happily ever after that we always planned."

She sniffled, "I hate war."

"Me too, Sunshine." Eugene ran his fingers through her hair. "But it will be over soon. If we can push them back to the wall, if we can hold them off long enough for the Brotherhood to get here…" he trailed off, thinking of his father and Edmund's promise to send help. Eugene had been hesitant to ask for help, not wanting the Dark Kingdom to get involved with Corona's mess, but it was his job to protect the kingdom, even if that meant asking for help.

It would be at least another week before the Brotherhood and any warriors they had would arrive. A letter was sent to Cassandra but she had yet to answer.

Rapunzel pulled away. "Go." She cupped his cheek. "Go, but promise that you'll come back."

"I promise." He leaned down and kissed her deeply.

When they pulled apart, he tucked a strand of brown hair back behind her ear.

"Say goodbye to the baby," she whispered against him.

"I will."

"She’s going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss her. And you." He lifted her chin up. "But I will come back. I promise."

"I know." She sighed, "I wish my parents were here."

"I know, Sunshine, I know."

A knock sounded at the door, but neither moved from the embrace. The door was pushed open and Nigel entered.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it's time." He bowed.

Rapunzel held Eugene tighter, "Now? Can't we…."

"No," Eugene shook his head, "we have to go." He held her even tighter, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to think about the fact that this could be the last time he held her.

Finally, he pulled away, cupping her face and delivering a final kiss.

She didn't follow as he nodded to Nigel and walked out the door.

Eugene stopped by the nursery, the eighteen-month-old was being happily bounced on the lap of her nanny.

"Hey, Princess," he smiled as the child reached up for him.

He took her into his arms. "How's my L’il Sun Drop?"

"Dada!" She giggled, patting his face happily.

"Hey, angel." Eugene laughed. His smile faded when he remembered why he was here. He held her tightly against his chest and she wiggled to get away.

She looked up at him and cocked her head. "Dada sad?"

Eugene tried to smile, "Dada has to go on a trip. He'll be back, but he needs to go away." Smiling was so hard, especially with the tears that sprang to his eyes unbidden at his baby girl's show of compassion.

"Far?"

"Yes, baby, real far. But I'll come back. And I need you to look after mommy. Can you do that for me, Kleisonne?"

She bobbed her head.

"Well then, give Dada a big hug."

The little girl squeezed him tightly. At just eighteen months, Kleisonne was already so much like Rapunzel.

"I love you, little sun." He kissed the top of her head.

"Love you, Dada."

Handing his daughter back to the nanny was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Especially when the nanny gave him an odd look. A look he couldn't quite explain. A look he didn't want to dwell on for fear of losing his resolve.

Kleisonne put one hand in her mouth, waving with the other.

Eugene blew her a kiss before shutting the door to the nursery. He leaned his head against the door, feeling something he couldn't quite explain.

"Captain?"

The Prince Consort took a deep breath before pushing himself up, a look of determination taking over his face. "Let's do this." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought!
> 
> I'm not a terrible fluffy person, but throw in the angst and I can probably do it lol.
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> God bless,  
> Jamie


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A disturbing dream brings Rapunzel to seek comfort in a secret place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cd
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

_She was completely alone._

_Rapunzel stood in the darkness, not entirely sure what was happening… Not to mention, where was she? It was dark and smelled of… damp earth? The tunnel?_

_“Hey, Sunshine.” Eugene stepped forward from the shadows, an odd smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked… sick...so very ill. Even in the dim light, to Rapunzel, Eugene looked far more ill than she had ever seen him. He was positively gaunt, skin hanging off his limbs, and his chiseled jaw instead appeared almost skeletal due to his cheeks being sunken in so deeply. Deep bags hung under his eyes and as Rapunzel’s gaze trailed down she noticed the crimson stain growing from his side. To her, it looked as if blood were seeping from the wound Gothel had given him all those years ago._

_“Eugene!” She gasped, taking a step forward._

_Her husband jerked backward unsteadily, his arms held out to stop her advance._

_“It’s alright, darling, everything’s alright.”_

_That stain….Rapunzel couldn’t tear away her eyes from it….for the stain had now become gushing rivulets._

_Eugene glanced around the tunnel in an almost thoughtful manner. Rapunzel wanted to scream at him for being so maddeningly calm! “It’s a nice tunnel,” he said, “probably more trouble than it’s worth, though.” Eugene carefully ran his hand down the wall, dirt crumbling and falling to the ground from beneath his touch._

_“Wh-what do you mean?” Rapunzel asked, a sickened feeling forming in her stomach. In horror, she watched the ruby red liquid drip off the hem of her husband’s once-white shirt._

_Eugene let his hand fall limply to his side. “It’s funny, we spent all this time building it, making sure the walls were strong enough, making sure no one else knew it existed. I wanted everything to be just perfect for you and the baby. But then again you really can’t predict when everything will fall apart.”_

_A high-pitched wail sounded behind her and their baby girl was crawling forward, crying, and reaching out for Eugene just as the walls began to shake. The whole lower half of his shirt was soaked in blood now. “Dada!”_

_“Kleisonne!” Rapunzel shouted, scooping up the baby girl. She spun around, only to see her husband sinking back into the shadows._

_“I’m so sorry, Sunshine.” Eugene pounded his bloody fist against the wall and the cave collapsed around him. Her last glimpse of him being his bloodstained hand._

_“No!” She shrieked, reaching out for him. Kleisonne had begun crying again and Rapunzel lightly bounced her, trying to keep the tears out of her own eyes._

_The rest of the cave was collapsing in on itself. She took off running back towards the entrance underneath the palace. But she couldn’t outrun it. It was all happening so fast. Rapunzel saw the dirt directly above her begin to flake away and then all at once it came straight down. She hugged her child to her chest, letting out a scream of her own._

“Rapunzel!”

The Queen’s eyes snapped open. She was curled around a pillow, tears streaming down her face. 

“Y-your Majesty,” Kiera corrected herself, “I-I’m sorry to disturb you but you were screaming in your sleep and I wasn’t sure-”

“No, no, thank you Kiera,” Rapunzel said, trying to regain composure. “I-it was just a dream. It was just a dream.” It was said more to herself then to the two girls in front of her.

The sisters. Now sixteen, were staying in the castle while Lance was away fighting. Eugene had placed Lance in charge of his own small group of men and that’s who her husband was supposed to be meeting up with. They hadn’t received word from them yet, but it was coming. Mail was slow during war. Something would come soon.

“Thank you girls, I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘scaring’,” Kiera created air quotes with her fingers, “I would say minor concern at best.”

Rapunzel couldn’t stop the soft smile that spread across her lips, “Well regardless, thank you.” The Queen stood to her feet and made her way towards her changing screen.

“You know it’s still the middle of the night, right?”

Rapunzel sighed as she began undressing. “I know, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep much more tonight. It’s better just to go ahead and start the day,” she explained.

“Do you need us to do anything, your Majesty?” Catalina spoke up.

The Queen emerged, now dressed in a dark purple dress. “No girls, I’m fine. Go back to bed.”

Kiera offered a half smile and a “Well, goodnight!” while Catalina stayed a moment longer, looking concerned.

“Really, I’m fine,” Rapunzel assured. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Catalina finally nodded slowly, following after her sister.

When the girls were gone, Rapunzel closed her eyes, breathing in the warm night air. She still felt exhausted, but knew no sleep was coming anytime soon. With a deep sigh she silently pushed open her bedroom door. The halls were nearly silent as she crept towards the castle basement. Something about her dream troubled her. Well, many things about her dream troubled her, but one was the use of the tunnel.

The tunnel had really been Eugene’s idea, although Rapunzel had been the one to put the idea into action. The entrance itself was underground, the basement, rarely used, offered a good enough hiding space. The opening was hidden using a special cloaking tapestry that Varian had invented that caused it to blend in perfectly with the wall.

It opened here in the castle and exited near Old Corona in a cave. When the war started, Eugene had placed large rocks and boulders to block the exit. Very few people knew of its existence. At the moment it was only her, Eugene, and Varian. The young scientist had been instrumental in creating the tunnel. The original idea of digging it out would have taken forever and involved more people than they had wished. Varian had created some sort of acid bomb that could melt the dirt? Move the dirt? She wasn’t exactly sure what it did but it had certainly proven both useful and up to the task. For more than just this, as it turned out. But she didn’t want to think about that now. War already consumed most days recently and she really wished it would leave her alone at night.

“Yes, yes, that’s it!" Rapunzel heard a voice echo from several hundred yards in front of her.

The tunnel also now entailed Varian’s secondary lab. Most of the boy’s work lately had been to create weapons and it was decided that was better to do that out of the public eye.

“Wouldn’t it work better if you added more of that blue stuff?”

Wait… that wasn’t Varian.

“Ash, you’re a genius!”

Rapunzel couldn’t stop the smile. Yes, she probably shouldn’t have been down here. In fact she shouldn’t be down here, but she should have known the girl would wind up here eventually.

Straightening her dress and putting on her best ‘stern Queen face’ she rounded the corner. “And what’s going on here?”

Both teens spun around, Varian immediately paled and Ash avoided eye contact.

“Uh, Your Highness, I can explain!” Varian began. “I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and you’ve been so busy and Eugene’s well… he’s not here and even if he we were he’d be super busy so I thought, well Ash is trustworthy, so I’ll just bounce ideas off of her and then one thing led to another and now we’re all three down here talking. Is everything okay? What time is it?”

Rapunzel fought down her smile, “I see. Ashira, do you have anything to say?”

“I wasn’t going to tell anyone, I swear! I kinda forgot that we were in a tunnel to be honest, I was just helping Varian and… yeah.” She looked away again.

The smile took full hold, “Well so long as you promise not to tell anyone, I suppose it’s okay.”

Both teen’s bodies sagged with relief.

“What are you guys working on?”

Varian’s eyes lit up. “We’re actually working on a kind of knock-out bomb. The idea is that if you throw it at someone it would render them unconscious for a couple of hours!”

“That way no one would actually have to get hurt.” Ashira added. “They’d wake up with a killer headache but would still more or less be in one piece.” She glanced at the clock and gasped, “She’s going to kill me!”

“Don’t worry,” Rapunzel glanced at the clock herself. It was early morning, not quite sunrise. She wasn’t sure why Ash was suddenly in a panic. “I’ll tell your mother that you were with me.”

“It’s not my mother I'm worried about!” She began to run out the door. “Oh, uh, your Highness,” she curtsied then continued on with her sprint.

Rapunzel smiled in understanding. Ever since Ash had moved into the castle, she had shown excellent swordsmanship. Adira had begun to train her when she was in Corona. Eugene had written his father to request assistance from the Brotherhood and Adira had offered to help. She was currently ensuring the security of the castle, but Rapunzel doubted it would be long before she joined the actual battle. Adira was one of only a handful of people in Corona and the Guard who had ever seen real combat.

“Varian,” the young man had returned to his work, not even seeming to notice the Queen was still in the room.

“Hm?” he didn’t even look up, measuring out a blueish liquid.

“Make sure you get some sleep. Just because Eugene and your father aren’t here to drag you to bed doesn’t mean you don’t need to sleep. And eat. Take care of yourself.”

Varian offered a shy smile. “Of course, Your Hi-” Rapunzel glared at him and tapped her foot. “Rapunzel. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright then.” She nodded before turning back towards the basement entrance. She had a kingdom to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that!
> 
> If you did, please let me know what you think!
> 
> I'll just tell ya'll upfront that I adore Ashira. She is my baby. (So is Timothy but you haven't met him yet.)
> 
> Yay for friendship!!!
> 
> And we got to see the girls! 
> 
> But still lots of angst in dream form.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> God bless,  
> Jamie


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene is stressed. Lance attempts to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! I'm literally using the mall wifi to upload this lol. 
> 
> But please enjoy this! 
> 
> I have several chapters written and I'm going to try and upload every weekend, but no promises. Just know that it is written and I haven't forgotten this story! 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Eugene rubbed his temple, leaning forward on the makeshift desk. He was tired. Extremely tired. Old Corona and his soldiers had been under almost constant attack. The only shelter all of his men had left were a few scattered tents. Overcrowded tents.

He had a dull headache. A constant throb behind his eyes that never really seemed to go away. He’d never been the most consistent sleeper and between the baby and now this war, he couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a full night’s sleep. Everything had become so… stressful. He had been in plenty of stressful situations, of course, but typically it was only himself he’d had to mind. So long as he could get himself out of trouble nothing else mattered. But here -- here he was responsible for the safety of a couple thousand souls in battle and even more back home in Corona. He had already lost men, good men, some mere boys, in battle. Thus far, though they’d only fought in minor skirmishes, the casualties were still adding up. The constant low-level barrage had taken a toll.

He was just so tired. He rarely slept and when he did, he had been having these… dreams. He wasn’t even sure what they were about. They just felt wrong. There was a sense of foreboding that left him waking up anxious and with the overwhelming desire to go home to be with his family.

The front of the tent swished open and Eugene looked up, trying to reinstate the commanding look he had mastered over time.

“Captain, the Royal Engineer sent over the new weapon shipment.” Timothy said in a rush. His eyes were sparkling with excitement. His blond hair was a mess, his helmet missing.

Eugene felt his fondness for the boy grow. He felt a certain amount of responsibility for Timothy, having practically raised him during his younger years at the orphanage. Even now all these years later he still felt the connection they had had.

“Anything interesting?”

The boy shrugged, “Seems like just the same explosions and stuff. There was a note attached saying that he was working on something new.”

“I’ll have to look at them later.”

Eugene looked up to see TImothy practically bouncing on his toes. He had to hold back a laugh, “Is there something else, Timothy?”

“Lance wants to see you,” he blurted out with excitement.

“Ooookay,” Eugene answered. “I suppose I shall go to see him now.”

Timothy nodded in agreement. He seemed far too excited that two commanding officers were having an official meeting.

This should be interesting.

~TTS~

Lance was pacing in the tent. Well, not really pacing, more like walking back and forth repeatedly. Okay, fine, so he was pacing. He was slightly concerned for the upcoming conversation. On the one hand, the information he was about to tell Eugene was valuable and much needed information. On the other hand… Eugene wasn’t going to be a fan of how he’d obtained that information.

“Lance?” Eugene ducked into the tent and Lance spun around.

“Eugene! Buddy! Oh,” He coughed into his fist before giving a salute, “Captain, sir!”

“Really, Lance?” Eugene raised his eyebrows, looking extremely tired.

Lance felt growing concern for his friend. Eugene just looked….exhausted.

His friend rubbed his temples, “Did you need something? Don’t get me wrong, a friendly conversation would be wonderful, but it doesn’t seem like anyone ever wants me for anything except work anymore.”

Yeah, Lance was having second thoughts about this whole “Tell the Captain what you found out” thing. Was there someone else he could tell? Probably not. Sure, there were those higher up than Lance. Lance only had command of a very small group of men. But after Lance had told them, they would then immediately tell Eugene who would come storming in, demanding to know why he had had to find out from someone else and it would be just as messy.

“Well, we got a report directly from the enemy camp!”

“The-” Eugene looked up sharply, “What do you mean ‘directly’ from the enemy camp?”

“Here’s what we found out,” Lance continued, “They’re gone. The camp is suddenly empty. Left the tents and got out from the looks of it. In fact, it looks possible that they’ve retreated!”

“More likely they’re planning an attack,” Eugene sighed wearily. He sounded more tired than ever. So much for Lance trying to be optimistic.   
  


“Uh, yeah,” Lance replied, resigned, “You’re probably right. Anyway, I thought you should know.”

“Yeah, yeah -- thanks Lance, I’ll--waaaait one second, though, how did you get this information?”

Lance let his eyes wander away from his friend and he pulled his hand behind his back, “WellyouseeIkindasentTimothyouttothecamptofindoutwhatwasgoingonand-” It came out in an unintelligible mumbled rush.

“Lance, Lance, just tell me, like a normal person, okay?” Lance sighed.

“I _might_ have sent Timothy to scout for us.”

“YOU WHAT!?” Eugene certainly didn’t look tired anymore. That was a….good thing? But not the glaring red-faced part. That wasn’t so good.

“You--you sent _Timothy?_ Of all the people you could have sent, you sent a _child!”_

Lance had expected this reaction. Really he had. It didn’t mean that he had to like it, though.

“Eugene, buddy, Timothy is eighteen, almost nineteen. He’s small and good at staying hidden. He’s always been good at things like this, you know that! He was the obvious choice!”

“But--he’s… he’s still just a kid, Lance,” Eugene protested, his heart clearly no longer in it. There was that instant tiredness again.

“I know, buddy, but you can’t protect him forever. I know you want to, but he survived without us for ten years, I think he’ll be okay. You should know that he volunteered -- I didn’t have to ask him. Besides, everyone’s gotta grow up sometime.”

Eugene rubbed his head, a small smirk appearing on his face, “I’m sure Kiera will be thrilled to hear your opinion on that.”

“What? No! I never said-!”

“”Everyone’s gotta grow up sometime’,” he quoted back, now pretending to contemplate the following, “Who do you think will be more excited to hear that, Kiera or Catalina?”

“That is completely different! The girls are still children!” protested Lance.

“Ah!” Eugene’s face had brightened slightly, “Catalina’s about to turn seventeen and Kiera’s not that far behind. That’s less than a two year age difference! And hey, the girls survived ten years without you, I’m sure they’ll be fine on their own.” Before Lance could answer, Eugene gave a mockingly deep bow. “I shall write to Rapunzel immediately to inform her that she has two new guards for duty. You and I both know your daughters will be thrilled to hear the news.” And the captain backed out of Lance’s tent with a huge snarky grin on his face.

  
“Wait, no, Eugene! Eugene!” He was tempted to follow him out, but honestly Lance was just happy to see him with a genuine smile. Not to mention, Eugene was actually joking around! For the first time in _days._ Eugene cared about those girls every bit as much as Lance did. He would never put them in danger. But if poking fun at Lance’s overprotectiveness allowed his best friend a moment of real levity, then it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the Rapunzel and Varian chapters, but I REALLY love the Eugene chapters!
> 
> I'm considering turning this into an actual fiction book. It might not happen, but the idea is in the back of my mind... we'll see. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> What do you think is going to happen next?
> 
> Let me know!
> 
> On here or on Tumblr!
> 
> God bless,  
> Jamie


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and Ash have a talk and we finally meet Regis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Look at that! I'm not dead! 
> 
> Finally finished the semester and my writing schedule will all have to do with how family and holidays go. We'll see.
> 
> Anyway, Merry Christmas! Please enjoy this half fluffy, half angsty chapter.
> 
> As always, thanks to my amazing beta LadyFawkes!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Aaaaash!” Varian groaned. “I need your heeeeelp!”

Ashira rolled her eyes from her position hanging upside down off of her bed. “You’re overreacting, you know.”

“No, I’m not! She’s turning seventeen! That’s a very important age!”

“Varian, what do you mean by ‘very important age’?” demanded Ashira, her brow scrunching up, “because I’m pretty sure you had taken over Corona twice by the time you were sixteen. What’s so great about age seventeen? Sounds like a massive letdown to me.”

“For one,” Varian answered indignantly, “in my sole takeover of Corona, I only succeeded once. The only other time was a mere attempt.”

“I see,” smirked Ash. “And somehow, that makes it better?”

“B-but th-that’s not what we’re talking about!” Varian spluttered, “We’re talking about what to do for Catalina’s birthday!”

Ashira rolled over, pushing her hands under her head. “What do you want to do? I mean she’s probably missing Lance, but at least she has her sister, right? What does Kiera think?”

“I haven’t talked to her about it. I want it to be a surprise, y’know?”

Ash sat up again. “That’s it!" She explained. "You little genius you!" She teased. “You should throw her a surprise party!”

“A surprise party?” Ashira watched as Varian got the far away look in his eyes “Yes, yes! That could work!”

“Ashira, you are truly my favorite! I swear if you didn’t move here I would be at a complete loss! You’re absolutely fantastic! This is the best idea I’ve ever heard! I love you! Thank you!” he continued his ramble as he walked out of the room. “And she calls me the ‘genius’......”

 _Wait… what had Varian just…said…. did he truly_ mean _that?_ wondered Ashira, as her brain froze for a time. _Or was that a figure of speech?_ “Because if it weren’t, I would be at a complete loss…..” she whispered to herself. And...his declaration of “I love you…” simply _had to be_ a figure of speech….

There was no way it wasn’t.

On the other hand, Varian had been spending a lot of time with her....

Not to mention, he had shown her the tunnel. Plus all of his inventions….had even asked her for genuine critiques. In such a short time, Varian had come to her for loads of things and that amount of things was growing all the time….

_Ohhh dear. This is not good._

This was not how she felt. Ashira did not share these feelings with him at all.

He knew that, right?

Was she overthinking this?

She was probably overthinking this.

But if she wasn’t, this was a problem.

A big problem.

The idea that Varian might be in love with her had never even crossed her mind.

She would have to talk to him.

She really didn’t want to have to talk to him.

~TTS~

Ashira couldn’t stop thinking about what Varian had said to her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

It caused her to question herself as well. She had no interest in being in a relationship. With him or anyone else. Just thinking about having to confront Varian over this made Ashira feel awful. And everytime she brought up her feelings towards love, they were always brushed off as unimportant. She was often told that she would find love later. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to.

Ash watched him working, not focusing on her own chemicals at all. She couldn’t just sit back and let this happen anymore. She had to say something. “Varian can I, uh, can I tell you something?”

“Hm? Jus’ one second I’m-” he looked up, his eyes suddenly becoming concerned. He put down the beaker, seeming suddenly uninterested with his compound. “What’s wrong?”

She looked into Varian’s eyes and saw so much concern and care… Ash really didn’t want to hurt him…and he’d instantly sensed her worry, which was making it even more difficult...just... No. She needed to do this. She took a deep breath and braced herself. “Listen, I need you to promise to… not… freak out.”

“Seriously -- Ashira, what’s wrong?”

Ash closed her eyes. “Varian, you’re a great guy and I like you a lot but I don’t… feel… that way towards you.” There--she had said it. So why wouldn’t her mouth stop moving? “In fact, I don’t feel that way towards anyone. I never have. It’s honestly something I don’t quite understand cause like everyone’s always talking about their crushes and people they feel romantic with but I’ve just never felt that towards anyone. You’re my best friends, and sure I feel differently towards you than I feel towards anyone else, but it's not romantic. I don’t know if I want that kind of relationship with someone. Ever. I mean everyone is always telling me I’ll grow into the feelings but I’m sixteen so you think I’d have grown into them by now and-” She stopped herself, taking a step backwards, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that!” Looking into the confused eyes of her best friend she felt so… exposed. She had never told anyone about those feelings. She hadn’t meant to now. It just… happened.

Varian looked at her. He blinked. He looked confused but not hurt. That was good. Maybe. Unless he planned on telling her she was weird for not feeling romantically towards people. But he wouldn’t do that, right?

“Wait… you thought?” He paused as if trying to think of the proper words. “You thought I liked you in _that_ way?”

“D-don’t you?” Ash wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or embarrassed.

“What? No!” He let out a small laugh, “You’re my best friend, Ashira. I love you like my sister but not in _that_ way. I mean don’t get me wrong you’re beautiful and smart and all that stuff but you’re also someone I can just talk to and who gets my alchemy and I just consider you a really good friend. Plus, I can’t have a crush on you because I actually have a massive crush on Catalina but that-” He slammed his hand over his mouth, his eyes widening in terror. “I did not just say that. You heard things. I didn’t say anything about Catalina.”

It was Ash’s turn to laugh. “You and Catalina, huh? Honestly that was part of what was so confusing! I was sure you liked her then you said all those things to me!” She shook her head in disbelief. That actually made a lot more sense. And it helped that, “You know you might try talking to her about that, you might be surprised.”

“What, me and her? There’s no way! She’s way out of my league.”

“You know I have a feeling she’d say the same thing.”

“What?! No,” he blushed looking away. After a moment he cleared his throat, looking back towards her. “And about what you said, the other part, you shouldn’t be afraid to tell me things like that. If you don’t want to have a relationship like that, no one should force you into one. If you want to try one even though the feelings aren’t there, that’s fine, just make sure it’s what _you_ want and not what everyone else wants.”

Ashira felt tears coming to her and quickly looked away. “Thank you Varian, that means a lot.”

“Anytime.” He smiled. “So, Catalina, do you really think she’d give me a chance if I tried to talk to her?

~TTS~

Regis sat on the throne. On his throne. He tapped his long fingers against the armrest, watching the fools in front of him.

“All I was attempting to say, your Majesty, is that some of these people have lived in the castle their entire lives! Simply kicking them out is not an option!”

The king allowed for the corner of his mouth to turn upward. “Really now, it is not an option. If it is not an option, then please, do enlighten me as to what my options are.”

“W-well,” Levi, the royal advisor, stuttered, “perhaps give them more time, or even better, a job. These people have always been loyal to the throne! I’m sure they would serve you faithfully and-”

Regis held up his hand. “I hear your point, Levi, truly I do. However, you have not swayed my opinion at all.” He lazily waved his hand towards the door where his second in command was standing. “Javeen, would you please dispose of this annoying little man.” Levi’s eyes lit up with terror as he scrambled backwards.

“P-please, you cannot do this!”

“Again with the can’t? Really you’d think the people here would understand,” his voice began calmly only to spike in anger, “I am the king and I can do whatever I please!” He slammed his fist down and it echoed in the silence of the room. Then sound erupted as Levi was dragged out of the room.

Regis rubbed his temple, “Are all the people in this country so annoying? Uh, of course, now I have a headache.” He grumbled to himself.

The king closed his eyes, rubbing at his forehead, and listened as the world moved around him. People were afraid of him. People were terrified of him and he quite enjoyed it. He’d only been in power for a short time but already most of his predecessor’s staff had been terminated.

His strategy was simple. Conquer land, starting with their neighbor, Corona. Other countries and land would be acquired, but once Corona was out of the picture, he would not only have a reputation, but many places would be short a formidable ally.

His men were strong, unlike Trevor’s weak excuse for an army. Only Javeen and a handful of men were truly loyal to him, but the promise of wealth and land made many eager to join forces with him. Regis had already proven that any disloyalty would result with immediate execution so he truly didn’t fear any insubordination.

“Your Majesty?”

Regis opened his eyes to see Javeen standing before him.

“Yes? What is it?”

Javeen was smiling. That was a rare occurrence, then again he had just returned from an execution. “We just received a letter.”

“Yes, so?” He said with mild irritation.

“It was from her.”

Regis felt a smile forming on his own lips. “Yes? And what did she have to say?”

“The Prince has joined the military camp. He has what we need.”

The smile grew even wider. “Good,” he drew out the word gleefully, “go take control of the men. Continue with the attack. Bring Fitzherbert to me alive.”

Javeen bowed, “Of course, my liege. It would be my honour.”

Regis again began tapping his fingers on the chair, now with a cruel grin on his face. Corona would belong to him in no time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally meet the infamous Regis! And who is this "her"? And what does this have to do with Eugene?!
> 
> On another note, Ash is like one of my favourite OCs ever. Her and Varian are adorable together! 
> 
> Well I hope to see you all soon!
> 
> Have a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!
> 
> God bless,  
> Jamie

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr!  
> @Trekkiehood


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